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POLITICO 44

The town hall brawls over health care reform are already driving down public support for the effort – but that’s not the worst of the danger to the White House.

They could also give cover to some big business players, who’ve shied away from challenging the White House, to turn their guns on the reform agenda and kill it — just like they did more than a decade ago.

And if you read between the lines of the industry’s messages, it’s pretty clear they are keeping that option on the table despite a public alliance with President Barack Obama.

Some drug and insurance companies, along with business groups, are working furiously behind the scenes to shape reform in their image – but failing that, they’re preparing a Plan B that includes going negative.

Already there are signs of strain.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday launched a multimillion-dollar ad buy criticizing Democratic reform plans for raising taxes and expanding government control over health care. But the Chamber stopped short of outright opposition – instead urging viewers to tell lawmakers to slow down and do health reform right.

The increasingly aggressive tone is not good news for Obama. The president has worked hard to keep industry groups at the negotiating table, even cutting side deals with the drug and hospital industries to keep reform on track. By keeping deep-pocketed interest groups close, Obama is trying to avoid a well-funded opposition campaign.

But the strategy comes with risks – especially if any of the groups should bolt.

“When you bring these groups into the tent and make them partners in the endeavor and they pull away, it’s hard to trash them once they walk away if they’ve been part of your justification for what it is you’re doing,” said Democratic lobbyist Andy Rosenberg.

Yet as the Chamber ads show, both sides recognize a certain mutually assured destruction is at play. The White House doesn’t want to test the ability of special interests to kill reform, so it has worked hard to keep them happy. Likewise, business groups know if they walk away, they lose the power to shape legislation that could completely remake their industries.

The White House insists it’s not worried the groups will walk.

“You never know how long everyone will stay at the table together, but what you’re seeing now is expressions of true concern about the status quo and a true desire for reform across industries,” said White House Office of Health Reform spokeswoman Linda Douglass.

But one look at the drug industry group PhRMA shows how tenuous support can be.

It has spent more than a year promoting reform, teaming up with a nationally respected consumer health group for a multi-million ad campaign spotlighting the urgent need for action.

Yet the group is adopting a take-no-prisoners approach to the House bill unveiled last month, including putting a negative ad in the can.

“We’ll fight the speaker all the way on that,” said a senior industry lobbyist, referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “We’re going to stop that bill. If they don’t like it, we don’t care. And no one should be surprised by it.”

The drug makers have several gripes with the bill, notably a provision that reinstates government discounts on drugs purchased by seniors who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid.

Democrats say the provision will save the government tens of billions of dollars. But the industry points to a Congressional Budget Office report that says the savings could hit seniors in the form of higher premiums – which is the topic of the negative ad, the lobbyist said.

Readers' Comments (674)

1 Tort reform. Malpractice insurance is outrageous and is adding lots of cost to health care that does not need to be there. A doctor making a mistake should not be equal to winning a multi million dollar Lotto.

2. Force the medical schools to expand enrollment and open up new schools. The shortage in medical professionals is a direct result of a manufactured shortage in Doctors and nurses so as to drive up the cost of their services. You would never realize this until you started to look at how many people do not get in to the schools that are otherwise qualified but there was not enough space.

3. In that we are going to be forced to pay for a government backed plan, have the Government pick up the cost of schooling for all medical fields (including dentist, eye and vet services). No one can go to a Medical school, and practice in the US , unless it is paid for by the government. All graduates would be offered either the PHS or a military posting to work off the years of schooling attended. Of course they would be paid a salary as would be normal for the position. They would make up the free clinics and “county general” hospitals where those who do not have health insurance, can not afford health insurance or in between jobs can go for care. After they have worked off the required time, they can either go into private practice or stay with the PHS.

4. Require documentation on treatment to insure that they are who they say they are and are US citizens or legally admitted immigrants. We do not want Jane Doe at the free clinic today for an STD and the same person known as Paris Hilton checking into rehab so her medication can work. I would also hate to pay for Harry Windsor’s health care after he illegally crossed the border from Canada and was working as a congressional aide in DC.

5. As a means to help pay for the care. Charge for the care and means test the charges, if you physically can not pay, the debt would be forgiven but you would know the cost. As with all debts to the government, any bills not paid will be deducted from any tax credit or return that the individual would get. As a minimum, a $10 or $15 dollar charge needs to be made to keep people from going to the doctor just for something to do.

6. If you do the education as indicated above, you could phase out medicare and Medicaid. You could also phase out the VA. Under stand that you would have every one graduating from a medical school initially in the PHS. Once established and running, many of those in the service would understand that, while they would not get rich, standards could be maintained (especially true for nursing staff). Having a family doctor as a member of the PHS would be the ideal, but the, "for-profit" hospitals and doctors would not go away and insurance companies could continue to insure those that want the coverage.

7. Remember we are paying for dentist and eye care. These should as a minimum be set up in every school, along with a nursing staff and doctor to insure the health of every child in America .

8. With the payment of vets education, you can do the food inspections that are often not done by the USDA, expand health inspections of kitchens open to the public, and you could open up clinics within the local animal shelters to spade and neuter pets for free, as well as assist the animal control folks with injured and sick animals. They could also be used to work with local farmers to insure that live stock is kept free of disease prior to entry into the food chain. Again, once the required time is completed they can go into private practice, or stay with the PHS.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday launched a multimillion-dollar ad buy criticizing Democratic reform plans for raising taxes and expanding government control over health care. But the Chamber stopped short of outright opposition – instead urging viewers to tell lawmakers to slow down and do health reform right.

Yeah, thank you U.S. Chamber of Commerce. I know you've got my best interests at heart.

In describing the town hall teabaggers I will use Forrest Gump's phrase: STUPID is as STUPID does!. The American taxpayers have been paying for UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE in IRAQ for 3 years. Funny how we didn't see any town hall hate-fest or any swastikas or any effigy of a hanging man during the 8yrs of the Bush administration! He doubled the national debt from $5 to $10 TRILLION dollars! He invaded Iraq under false pretenses and walked away clean! He gave BILLIONS in TAX CUTS to the WEALTHIEST Americans! He spent BILLIONS for 6 straight years when the Republicans were the majority in the House & Senate!. Funny how those concerned white folks didn't have any town hall hate-fest for the pass 8 years!. Are these ignorant people UN-American? You bet! Those same folks called the Iraq war protesters UN-American & Un-Patriotic for their vocal display of disgust for invading a country that did nothing to us and had nothing to do with 9/11 and these town hall teabaggers are NO better than the Iraq war protesters. Call it like it is---This is about having a Black President, a Jewish Chief of Staff, and a Hispanic on the Supreme Court. I say to those ignorant white people--move to Russia where 99.9999% of the populus is white! President Barack Hussein Obama 2016!.

In describing the town hall teabaggers I will use Forrest Gump's phrase: STUPID is as STUPID does!. The American taxpayers have been paying for UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE in IRAQ for 3 years. Funny how we didn't see any town hall hate-fest or any swastikas or any effigy of a hanging man during the 8yrs of the Bush administration! He doubled the national debt from $5 to $10 TRILLION dollars! He invaded Iraq under false pretenses and walked away clean! He gave BILLIONS in TAX CUTS to the WEALTHIEST Americans! He spent BILLIONS for 6 straight years when the Republicans were the majority in the House & Senate!. Funny how those concerned white folks didn't have any town hall hate-fest for the pass 8 years!. Are these ignorant people UN-American? You bet! Those same folks called the Iraq war protesters UN-American & Un-Patriotic for their vocal display of disgust for invading a country that did nothing to us and had nothing to do with 9/11 and these town hall teabaggers are NO better than the Iraq war protesters. Call it like it is---This is about having a Black President, a Jewish Chief of Staff, and a Hispanic on the Supreme Court. I say to those ignorant white people--move to Russia where 99.9999% of the populus is white! President Barack Hussein Obama 2016!.

In describing the town hall teabaggers I will use Forrest Gump's phrase: STUPID is as STUPID does!. The American taxpayers have been paying for UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE in IRAQ for 3 years. Funny how we didn't see any town hall hate-fest or any swastikas or any effigy of a hanging man during the 8yrs of the Bush administration! He doubled the national debt from $5 to $10 TRILLION dollars! He invaded Iraq under false pretenses and walked away clean! He gave BILLIONS in TAX CUTS to the WEALTHIEST Americans! He spent BILLIONS for 6 straight years when the Republicans were the majority in the House & Senate!. Funny how those concerned white folks didn't have any town hall hate-fest for the pass 8 years!. Are these ignorant people UN-American? You bet! Those same folks called the Iraq war protesters UN-American & Un-Patriotic for their vocal display of disgust for invading a country that did nothing to us and had nothing to do with 9/11 and these town hall teabaggers are NO better than the Iraq war protesters. Call it like it is---This is about having a Black President, a Jewish Chief of Staff, and a Hispanic on the Supreme Court. I say to those ignorant white people--move to Russia where 99.9999% of the populus is white! President Barack Hussein Obama 2016!.

I used to be a Republican because I naively believed that the smallest amount of government was best. Then the GOP became the party of Big, Big, Business. When the US became the government of, by, and for big business I stopped being a Republican. My faith keeps me from serving the God of Money and that is all the GOP is today.